Argentina’s football icon Lionel Messi is on a three-day GOAT tour of India ahead of his defense of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Published on December 13, 2025
Lionel Messi’s much-hyped tour of India got off to a rocky start on Saturday, with angry fans throwing bottles and trying to vandalize the stadium as many of them got nothing more than a glimpse of their hero.
The Times of India reported that many ticket holders said they were unable to see Messi at all – either in person or on the stadium’s big screen – despite waiting for hours.
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apologized to the Argentinian football star for the mismanagement of the event.
“I am deeply saddened and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed at the Salt Lake Stadium today,” Banerjee wrote on social media, where she also apologized to fans who expected more after paying for tickets.
Banerjee said a committee would be constituted to “investigate the incident in detail, determine responsibility and recommend measures to prevent such incidents in future”.
Messi’s three-day “GOAT (Best of All Time) India Tour” was to bring the World Cup winner from Kolkata to Hyderabad and then Mumbai before ending in New Delhi on Monday.
He was joined by long-time teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul.
Earlier on Saturday, Messi remotely “unveiled” a 21-metre (70-foot) statue of himself in Kolkata.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter once described India as a “sleeping giant” in football, but the country’s game has been beset by a number of problems in recent years.
The Indian Super League (ISL) – India’s premier football tournament – has taken place in danger of collapsing On disputes between the federation and its commercial partners.
ISL side Bengaluru FC stopped paying salaries to its first team players and staff as a result of the turmoil.
in A statement in AugustThe 2018-19 ISL champions said they took the decision “in light of the uncertainty over the future of the Indian Super League season”.
